After working through a fairly challenging study focused on social justice, our class was looking for something that centered on our relationship with Jesus. Nouwen’s Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety fit the bill nicely.
Nouwen was a Catholic Priest from Holland who decided to study psychology instead of theology. He spent a good deal of time in the U.S., including teaching assignments at both Notre Dame and Yale. The book was published posthumously in 2019 based on a series of Lenten talks he gave in 1985 during a particularly difficult time in his life.
The study is divided into six sessions, one for each book chapter. At the bottom of the lesson plans, you’ll find links to additional discussion questions from a book club conducted by the Henri Nouwen Society.
I shared leading this study with one of our class members (thanks, Kathryn!) – who graciously allowed me to include content from her associated lesson plans here.
As always, let me know how things go for your group in the comment section.